In Chapter 2.1, it is stated (without further explanation):
"This can be represented in the XForms model element, which in XHTML would be
contained within the head element".
It seems to me that this is not a statement that can be made without
qualification. It is not, as far as I am aware, true for XHTML 1.0. Therefore
I suggest that consideration be given to adding a version number to the
statement.
In addition, as far as I can see, there is nothing in the initial XHTML 2.0
WD which constrains the xforms:model element to being present nested in the
XHTML head element. Is there anything to prevent the xforms:model element
being present in the body element but simply not be rendered?
Did I miss something? Or is the XForms WD making an assumption that may not
necessarily be true? If it is merely an assumption then some redrafting might
be in order.
It also raised, for me at least, an issue which I hadn't considered in detail
before. This is partly because I had focussed on using XForms on a single
platform as I tried to get to grips with the detail of XForms.
How is a cross-platform XForms document to be written?
If the XForms code for the XHTML desktop platform is to be separated (as the
text quoted above suggests) into the xforms:model in the head element and the
XForms form controls in the body element how is that to be adapted for, for
example, use in an SVG and XForms Profile or for embedding in WML or other
languages to be used on various mobile platforms.
I had naively assumed that XForms would be "write once, run everywhere" but
if we are to carve up the XForms model and form controls according to (ill
defined?) demands of host languages it seems that there will be a lot of
rewriting and tweaking of XForms code to be done.
Is there a mechanism which I am overlooking which will allow modular XForms
code to be re-used as is across platforms?
Am I missing something obvious here, which is always possible? Or is creation
of cross-platform XForms code going to be less transparent than I had
(naively?) assumed?
Andrew Watt